Off on Easter Sunday, and still biding time waiting for their next playoff opponent to be determined, the Islanders are naturally taking a businesslike attitude to the Stanley Cup playoffs, and focusing on the task at hand every day, one day at a time.
But the events of the first round so far _ Presidents' Trophy winner Tampa Bay getting swept out of the playoffs by wild card Columbus; the Western Conference's top seed, Calgary, losing to wild card Colorado in five games; Winnipeg going down to St. Louis _ have opened a door for all remaining teams to chase the Stanley Cup. And Mathew Barzal is willing to admit that, yes, he's dreaming of winning the whole thing now.
"Oh, absolutely. Absolutely," Barzal told Newsday on Saturday, as the Isles practiced before taking Sunday off. "We're human in here. We know what we're chasing. ... You want to be able to see that end goal. Day-to-day focus is on our team, and the next series, and just getting ourselves ready. But you still want to see the end of the tunnel, and it's cool to know that we're chasing the Stanley Cup."
